The breakup
by 7koukoua
Summary: I'm calling it off. Akane casuallay said...


_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Ranma 1/2 or its characters.**_

« I'm calling it off. » Akane casuallay said while sitting in front of the TV.

Ranma didn't even glance at her, absorbed in his manga. This strangely did not trigger Akane's anger and she nonchalantly flipped through the channels.

"Ranma, I'm talking to you."

"What? Why do you always have to annoy me?" Ranma still didn't look at her. He just rolled his eyes in exasperation at his fiancée.

"I said that I was calling it off."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Akane scrutinized his face doubtly, but there was no trace of mock whatsoever. She turned her eyes to the TV and said in the same detached tone:

"Our engagement, I'm calling it off." She didn't see his widening eyes or his opened mouth. She didn't even seem to care about his reaction to what she said. Few seconds later Ranma controlled his expression and laughed forcefully.

"Who said I even wanted to marry you in the first place?"

Again, no trace of anger in the eyes of Akane as she turned to him and said with the same calm tone.

"I know you don't want to marry me, I don't either. We've been engaged for three years against our wills. I think it's time for us to start looking for real lovers to date."

"Hahaa" was Ranma's panicked laugh. "As if ANYONE would want to marry a tomboy who can't even boil water!"

Akane looked back at the TV and flipped again the channels.

"Maybe. We'll see."

Ranma was shocked. Understatement. He had NEVER seen Akane so indifferent and calm. Her tone unnerved him. The fact that he couldn't make her angry unnerved him. What was wrong? Was she really calling it off? Maybe it was just a scheme to manipulate him into confessing to her. _Like I would ever do that._ He watched her for a couple of minutes, and when she actually LAUGHED at a joke said in the show, he couldn't stand it anymore.

"Call it off? Fine. It's off. Officially off. Off you hear me? WE are off. Off. Off. OFF!" he got up and stormed out of the house nearly tripping Kasumi on his way. The eldest Tendo looked questioningly at her sister. The latter barely shrugged her shoulders and continued watching the show.

"Are you alright, Akane-chan? Did you and Ranma-kun fight again?" that was the most likely option, but then why was Akane so calm? That didn't make sense.

"No Kasumi… I just called the engagement off."

It was Kasumi's turn to be shocked. She kept quiet for a couple of seconds letting the phrase sink in, then she asked.

"Why did you do that Akane? Did he make you angry?"

"No. But I don't love him, and he clearly doesn't love me. Why stay engaged if there's no chance we're gonna get married?"

"You seem certain of that decision."

"Of course Kasumi." Akane finally turned off the TV and looked at her sister. "I won't spend my life chasing a man alongside with three girls. It won't work for me. And HE seems to enjoy it. He 'll have to find another FOURTH fiancée chasing him and begging him to love her."

Akane got up and smiled sweetly at her sister. "Want any help in the kitchen?"

"No…"

"Then I'll be in my room if you need me. I'm kinda tired. I'll see you later."

Akane smiled again at her sister before climbing the stairs. Kasumi stood there frozen to the spot. _What's happening to my baby sister! _

_I'm calling it off! _Ranma paced in his room. He couldn't think. His mind seemed paralyzed, unable to form a coherent thought. He kept recalling her phrase over and over again. _I'm calling it off… I'm calling it off… off… off? Was it really off? _What did that mean? Was he still allowed to stay here? Was he still allowed to walk with her to school? Was he still allowed to fight boys who love her? His heart thumped hard. Was SHE allowed to date other guys? Ranma stopped in his tracks, unable to process the thought. Without thinking he hurried to Akane's room and barged in.

"Ranma, why can't you knock like normal people!" she seemed angry at last.

"What did you mean Akane? It's not that I care, or that I want to marry you… What did you mean?"

"It's not that hard Ranma. We're not engaged anymore."

"So… um… does that mean you're gonna start dating other men?" he asked awkwardly.

"Well, that is none of your business, but I probably will." She smiled at him then returned her attention to the clothes she was folding.

"You know that the boys in school will make your life hell."

"I'll have to deal with it Ranma. And now if you'll excuse me, I wanna take a nap."

News of the break up spread like wildfire. For the first time in three years she crossed the threshold of she school alone. Without Ranma. Pupils waited for Ranma to appear shortly. Surely they just got in a fight in the morning and she left him. He'll come running as usual, looking for her. Maybe he'll be chased by Shampoo, or Ukyo, or both. But when he appeared 10 minutes later, walking casually on his fence, rumors begun to erupt. Finally at the lunch break, when the two of them didn't have lunch together, nor did they start to fight, Akane's friends asked what was wrong. Akane replied simply : "we broke up."

Broke up.. broke up.. broke up.. broke up… In minutes the whole school, and the other schools of Nerima heard the bewildering news. True, the couple was always in trouble, but they never broke up. _Ranma must've done something very stupid! _Everybody thought.

"I didn't do anything to that crazy tomboy!" he kept repeating the same thing all day long to people who asked him. _Why must __**I **__be the one at fault? _ The day was horrible for him. Of course, upon hearing the news, Ukyo and Shampoo hurried to the school and made sure he ran all day (Kodashi enrolled in a school abroad). On the opposite, Akane wasn't harassed as he thought she would be. In fact, as the years passed, Akane and Ranme didn't notice that their school changed due to their chaotic life. All the pupils who were once interested in Akane were already in college, or had a girlfriend. Even Kuno didn't cause her a lot of trouble. He was now more focused on his duties as the heir of the Kuno family, and he was interested in one of his relatives.

In short, things did NOT go as Ranma expected.

That night ranma was meditating in the dojo when Akane stepped in. When she saw him she immediately stepped back and apologized:

"Sorry, didn't know you were here."

"What? We can't even be in the same dojo anymore?" Ranma was so angry he was trembling. _The day was awful, she broke up with me,_ _and she won't even talk to me anymore? _ Meditate! He forced his mind to relax, shutting his eyes.

Akane pondered the matter carefully, then shut the door and entered. After warming up, she stood in the middle of the dojo, her back to him, and took a fighting stance. She was gonna do one of the hardest katas she knew. She always did it miserably and Ranma always laughed at her and always told her to stick to the katas that were "more to her level". Today she was gonna do it, in front of him, because she didn't care anymore.

Ranma watched in amazement as Akane moved gracefully enchaining hard moves. Sure some of her moves were still a little awkward and clumsy, but she had improved a lot! _When did that happen?_ When she finished Ranma rose and clapped at her happily. In that moment, he forgot everything. All he could see was that Akane excelled in that kata!

"Really, Ranma? It was good?" Akane beamed at him, still breathless.

"It was excellet, Akane, you never did it that good! Your movements were graceful, not charged with anger as they usually were! How did you finally manage to get rid of your anger?"

Their beaming faces sobered at once, as his words sank in. They looked at each other awkwardly, all the tension back full force. Akane then excused herself and escaped the dojo. Ranma was still frozen in place. _She got rid of her anger when she got rid of __**me**__! I'm the one holding he back! _

Days and weeks passed and Akane's behavior didn't change. Ranma started to get really scared. _What if she is serious? What if she doesn't love me anymore? Hell, what if she never loved me? _These thoughts tormented him. True, there was no hoard of boys waiting for her anymore, nor fights, but people still liked Akane and a lot of them asked her out. _Of course they like her, she's the most beautiful girl in Nerima._ Ranma winced in bitterness as he recalled all the mean words he always said to her. What to do now? He's losing her.

"Ranma?" Akane knocked at his bedroom door.

"Yeah come in."

She was radiant. _Damn her! _She was wearing a little blue dress that barely made it to her knees, with matching high heels. _High heels? _Ranma was brought back from his reverie by Akane clearing her throat. He swallowed and murmured:

"You look beautiful."

Three simple words. One simple sentence, and it completely took Akane by surprise. _A compliment? _Well that was gonna make things even harder.

""Um, thanks Ranma. I… wanted to talk to you about something."

_That looks serious, _Ranma thought to himself. _Maybe she's finally going to tell me what a huge mistake she made and that she's desperate to be my fiancée again! _

"I'm going on a date, today."

His mind froze as he tried to wrap his mind around the idea. Akane. HIS Akane. In a date? With another man? How was that possible? She was HIS fiancée. HIS. HIS.

"A… A date? As in, you and a boy? Together? Alone?" Ranma stuttered, and he mentally glared at himself for not being able to keep a cold façade.

"Yes, Ranma. That's how a date works. I know that you'e not familiar with the idea." It was Akane's turn to mentally glare at herself for letting such words escape her mouth. That was the first time she referred to the time they were together.

"Anyway, I told you this out of respect for you, because of our…Past. But I want you to respect me as well. You're not allowed anywhere near us today. You are not allowed to even say anything to him, ever."

That being said, Akane practically ran out of the room, leaving an agonizing Ranma glued to the floor.

_He's nice. Yes he's nice. He's nothing like that baka. Nothing at all. He brought me flowers. He held the door for me. He insisted on paying for the ice cream. He ate ice cream with me in his male form! Male form? What the hell? _Akane snorted at herself. She got used to Ranma so much sometimes she has to remind herself that not all guys are cursed and turn into girls. _Why the hell am I thinking about Ranma now? _

"Tendo-san, are you alright? You seem distant." He looked at her in concern.

"Of course, Kimura-san." She flushed him one of her breathtaking smiles and the boy flushed faintly.

"I'm so happy you accepted my invitation. I've liked you for a long time." He glanced at her timidly and slipped a trembling hand in hers. Akane gasped at the unexpected contact, and the boy misunderstood her gasp, so he drew off quickly, reddening like a tomatoe.

_God damn it why does it have to be so hard?! It is NOT working, I'm not forgetting about the other idiot, not at all. The boy was handsome, but RANMA was better looking. The boy was tall but RANMA was taller. The boy had a nice smile, but RANMA's smile was better. _She felt a pang in her heart as she recalled Ranma's smile. That shy smile he had in the rare moments he gave her a compliment. _This is a fail. I'm not gonna forget Ranma. I'll never get over Ranma. _

Ranma was pacing at home waiting for his ex fiancee to return. She was late. And he was positive he wanted to break that guy's jaw. Then a scary thought jumped in his mind. What if HE touched her? What if HE kissed her? Ranma would never let that boy live. Akane was his, no matter what she says, no matter how much she denies it.

He was still boiling in anger when she finally came. The moment she stepped in he was right in front of her, yelling:

"Took you long enough!"

"That's none of your business Ranma!" She yelled back, his tone making her shove her despair deep into her heart and wear the cool façade she had the past weeks.

"It is my business! You're my god damn fiancée!"

"I can't believe it! Why can't you finally accept it? I did the thing you did not have the guts to do! I saved you from that engagement! You should be thankful to me!"

"Don't tell me what I should or should not feel! Anyway that's not the point right now. I don't want you seeing that guy anymore!" he was taking it too far but he didn't care. He didn't care about anything apart from the jealousy that was eating up his heart.

"What do you want from me Ranma?" Her tone, sad, almost pleading, took him by surprise. "You've said it million times. You don't love me, and I'm not as beautiful as your other fiancées. In short, you don't want anything to do with me. So why should I stick with you?" She was almost crying now, and she struggled to continue, "I'm gonna find myself a fiancé who'll actually love me." She finally smiled sadly.

"I don't want you to love another man!" Ranma yelled again, "not as beautiful as my other fiancées? Do you really believe all the bullshit I tell you? I thought that you understood me way better than that! You know about my problems, you know how I was raised, you know I can't express myself, you know I get scared, you know everything!" his eyes saddened, and he added quietly, " I didn't know you hated me."

Akane was incredulous. _Now HE is the victim? _

"Don't change the facts Ranma! I didn't decide to date other men because I don't love you, I did it because YOU don't love ME!"

"Who the hell told you that I didn't love you! You always put words in my mouth and then…" Realisation of the words spoken hit them both at the same time. They stood silently red-faced, gazing timidly at each other, the tension in the air palpable. Few moments passed before Ranma broke the silence.

"So… you?... umm…" he couldn't bring himself to say the word again, almost choking in his embarrassment.

"Yes." Akane sighed in defeat. She had to take the risk with him, she knew he'd never say it first.

"Really?" he added timidly, barely looking at her.

"Yes."

"You won't date any other boys?"

"Depends." He frowned, but her smile encouraged him.

"I am your fiancée again?" He almost whispered that last one, his pride overwhelmed by his fear of losing her.

"Do you want to be my fiancée?" Ranma nodded weakly and she smiled. _That had to be the weirdest proposal ever! _Her heart thumped at the thought. _He kind of proposed! He loves me! Is this for real? _The thrill of the moment did not confuse her completely though, so she added in a composed tone.

"Ranma, things will have to change, concerning the other girls."

"I'll do my best, Akane, I promise." His eyes never looked so sincere, so innocent. She swallowed hard looking at his handsome features. Their blush accentuated as they stood in silence barely looking at each other.

"Kane…", Ranma was fidgeting, his face reddening even more, "I… I mean, you know… I …"

"I know." She was smiling peacefully. Yes she knew, she finally understood. Ranma exhaled relieved of his burden, but his relief was short-lived as his gaze locked once again with his fiancée's. _what should I do now? Am I supposed to… kiss her? _He put his hands on her shoulders and her face once again reddened full force. _Oh god oh god! Am I really doing this? No I can't. I can't. I can't. I'm gonna die. Surely. Kiss her? _He swallowed once again in panic, looking at her lips. _Boy I wanna do it! But… No I can't. I'm gonna die._

"I just remembered, there's something.. um .. I have to go." He practically ran escaping the house altogether. Akane laughed lightly, slightly disappointed that he chickened out. _He'll come around! _She thought, confident.

_**Author's note:**_

_**This story has been sitting in my computer for ages, unfinished. I'm not really satisfied with the ending, but I decided to post it, to know what you thought. So R&R, tell me what you think.**_


End file.
